} else {

				this.logger.info("Added reference to finger table entries "
						+ lowestWrittenIndex + " to " + highestWrittenIndex);

			}
		}
	}

	/**
	 * Returns a copy of the finger table entries.
	 * 
	 * @return Copy of finger table entries.
	 */
	final Node[] getCopyOfReferences() {
		this.logger.debug("Returning copy of references.");

		Node[] copy = new Node[this.remoteNodes.length];
		System.arraycopy(this.remoteNodes, 0, copy, 0, this.remoteNodes.length);
		return copy;
	}

	/**
	 * Returns a formatted string representation of this finger table.
	 * 
	 * @return String representation containing one line per reference, together
	 *         with the annotation which table entries contain this reference.
	 */
	public final String toString() {

		StringBuilder result = new StringBuilder("Finger table:\n");

		int lastIndex = -1;
		ID lastNodeID = null;
		URL lastNodeURL = null;
		for (int i = 0; i < this.remoteNodes.length; i++) {
			Node next = this.remoteNodes[i];
			if (next == null) {
				// row ended or did not even start
				if ((lastIndex != -1) && (lastNodeID != null)) {
					// row ended
					result.append("  "
							+ lastNodeID
							+ ", "
							+ lastNodeURL
							+ " "
							+ ((i - 1 - lastIndex > 0) ? "(" + lastIndex + "-"
									+ (i - 1) + ")" : "(" + (i - 1) + ")")
							+ "\n");
					lastIndex = -1;
					lastNodeID = null;
					lastNodeURL = null;
				} else {
					// null at beginning
				}
			} else if (lastNodeID == null) {
				// found first reference in a row
				lastIndex = i;
				lastNodeID = next.getNodeID();
				lastNodeURL = next.getNodeURL();
			} else if (!lastNodeID.equals(next.getNodeID())) {
				// found different reference in finger table
				result.append("  "
						+ lastNodeID
						+ ", "
						+ lastNodeURL
						+ " "
						+ ((i - 1 - lastIndex > 0) ? "(" + lastIndex + "-"
								+ (i - 1) + ")" : "(" + (i - 1) + ")") + "\n");
				lastNodeID = next.getNodeID();
				lastNodeURL = next.getNodeURL();
				lastIndex = i;
			} else {
				// found next reference in a row
			}
		}

		// display last row
		if (lastNodeID != null && lastIndex != -1) {
			// row ended
			result.append("  "
					+ lastNodeID
					+ ", "
					+ lastNodeURL
					+ " "
					+ ((this.remoteNodes.length - 1 - lastIndex > 0) ? "("
							+ lastIndex + "-" + (this.remoteNodes.length - 1)
							+ ")" : "(" + (this.remoteNodes.length - 1) + ")")
					+ "\n");
			lastNodeID = null;
		}

		return result.toString();
	}

	/**
	 * Removes all occurences of the given node from finger table.
	 * 
	 * @param node1
	 *            Reference to be removed from the finger table.
	 * @throws NullPointerException
	 *             If given reference is <code>null</code>.
	 */
	final void removeReference(Node node1) {

		if (node1 == null) {
			NullPointerException e = new NullPointerException(
					"removeReference cannot be invoked with value null!");
			this.logger.error("Null pointer", e);
			throw e;
		}

		// for logging
		int lowestWrittenIndex = -1;
		int highestWrittenIndex = -1;

		// determine node reference with next larger ID than ID of node
		// reference to remove
		Node referenceForReplacement = null;
		for (int i = this.localID.getLength() - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
			Node n = this.getEntry(i);
			if (node1.equals(n)) {
				break;
			}
			if (n != null) {
				referenceForReplacement = n;
			}
		}

		// remove reference(s)
		for (int i = 0; i < this.remoteNodes.length; i++) {
			if (node1.equals(this.remoteNodes[i])) {

				// for logging
				if (lowestWrittenIndex == -1) {
					lowestWrittenIndex = i;
				}
				highestWrittenIndex = i;

				if (referenceForReplacement == null) {
					unsetEntry(i);
				} else {
					setEntry(i, referenceForReplacement);
				}
			}
		}

		// try to add references of successor list to fill 'holes' in finger
		// table
		List<Node> referencesOfSuccessorList = new ArrayList<Node>(
				this.references.getSuccessors());
		referencesOfSuccessorList.remove(node1);
		for (Node referenceToAdd : referencesOfSuccessorList) {
			this.addReference(referenceToAdd);
		}

		// logging
		if (this.logger.isEnabledFor(DEBUG)) {
			if (highestWrittenIndex == -1) {
				this.logger
						.debug("removeReference did not remove the given reference, "
								+ "because it did not exist in finger table "
								+ "anywhere!");
			} else if (highestWrittenIndex == lowestWrittenIndex) {
				this.logger.debug("Removed reference from finger table entry "
						+ highestWrittenIndex);
			} else {
				this.logger
						.debug("Removed reference from finger table entries "
								+ lowestWrittenIndex + " to "
								+ highestWrittenIndex);
			}
		}

	}

	/**
	 * Determines closest preceding node of given id.
	 * 
	 * @param key
	 *            ID of which the closest preceding node shall be determined.
	 * @throws NullPointerException
	 *             If given key is null.
	 * @return Reference to the node which most closely precedes the given ID.
	 *         <code>null</code> if no node has been found.
	 */
	final Node getClosestPrecedingNode(ID key) {
		if (key == null) {
			NullPointerException e = new NullPointerException(
					"ID to determine the closest preceding node may not be "
							+ "null!");
			this.logger.error("Null pointer", e);
			throw e;
		}
		boolean debug = this.logger.isEnabledFor(DEBUG);
		for (int i = this.remoteNodes.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
			if (this.remoteNodes[i] != null
					&& this.remoteNodes[i].getNodeID().isInInterval(
							this.localID, key)) {
				if (debug) {
					this.logger.debug("Closest preceding node for ID " + key
							+ " is " + this.remoteNodes[i].toString());
				}
				return this.remoteNodes[i];
			}
		}

		if (debug) {
			this.logger.debug("There is no closest preceding node for ID "
					+ key + " -- returning null!");
		}
		return null;
	}

	/**
	 * Determines if the given reference is stored somewhere in the finger
	 * table.
	 * 
	 * @param newReference
	 *            Reference of which existence shall be determined.
	 * @throws NullPointerException
	 *             If reference to look for is <code>null</code>.
	 * @return <code>true</code>, if the given reference exists in the finger
	 *         table, or <code>false</code>, else.
	 */
	final boolean containsReference(Node newReference) {
		if (newReference == null) {
			NullPointerException e = new NullPointerException(
					"Reference to check must not be null!");
			this.logger.error("Null pointer", e);
			throw e;
		}
		for (int i = 0; i < this.remoteNodes.length; i++) {
			if (newReference.equals(this.remoteNodes[i])) {
				return true;
			}
		}
		return false;
	}

	/**
	 * @param i
	 * @return The first (i+1) entries of finger table. If there are fewer then
	 *         i+1 entries only these are returned.
	 * 
	 * 
	 * 
	 */
	final List<Node> getFirstFingerTableEntries(int i) {
		Set<Node> result = new HashSet<Node>();
		for (int j = 0; j < this.remoteNodes.length; j++) {
			if (this.getEntry(j) != null) {
				result.add(this.getEntry(j));
			}
			if (result.size() >= i) {
				break;
			}
		}
		return new ArrayList<Node>(result);
	}
}